Although General Motors is showing real muscle with its SUV and light-truck offerings, it remains a sad revelation how far behind it remains when a "professional grade" SUV such as the GMC Envoy SLT is tossed into the ring with some true heavyweights from Japan and Germany.

At a bit south of 40 grand, the SLT is $1325 cheaper than the next least-expensive vehicle in this eight-car grouping (Acura's MDX), but that doesn't quite excuse its somewhat truckish ride and handling. The Envoy was by far the clumsiest vehicle through the lane-change maneuver, negotiating the course at 51.8 mph, at least 5 mph slower than the rest of the field and nearly 10 mph behind the test-leading Touareg. Its skidpad grip also tied for last place at 0.72 g. The Envoy was also one of only two trucks with a four-speed automatic (the Volvo is the other), which probably contributed to its sixth-place performance in the drag races. Off-road performance was about average despite the lack of traction control or a locking rear differential, thanks to the reasonably grippy Michelin tires.

Much was made by our ace C/D test crew of the nickel-and-dime interior quality that has become a sad hallmark of GM products. The Envoy featured a stew pot of fake wood, lumpy vinyl, and mouse-fur fabrics that belong more in a 1960s Lada than on a front-line SUV from the world's sales leader. If the GM design department can't do better than this, perhaps a lateral transfer to the Wal-Mart interior-decoration staff might be in order.

In other comparison tests we have celebrated GM's 254-cubic-inch DOHC 24-valve in-line six that makes 275 horses, but when tossed into this bunch, it sounds a bit less refined, and its lackluster torque rating of 275 pound-feet lends it only a middling 6200-pound towing capacity. Bottom line: Envoys make more sense down around their $33,000 base price.

There is little doubt that General Motors is on the comeback trail, but based on the rivals faced by the Envoy in the wilds of Ohio, the road to the top may be steeper than we'd like to believe.